Review: Stray Dogs #2 (of 5)

Anthropomorphic stories have been a hit ever since Mickey Mouse took to the high river in Steamboat Wille. Since then, we have loved a whole slew of Disney characters from Donald, Daisy, Goofy, The Aristocats, Lion King and Finding Nemo to name but a few. Of course more recently, there is My Little Pony which is a huge part of geeky fandom.

Sophie has a spotty memory. She doesn’t remember how she ended up in the big house with all these other dogs, she just knows something is wrong. And where is her Lady? Together with Rusty, the possible tramp in this story, Sophie is on a path to uncovering a dark secret. But at the end of the corridor is the Master’s room and with trespass comes punishment. What is the room’s secret and how does it connect all the dogs in the home?

Tony Fleecs, of My Little Pony fame provides a story that is an odd, yet emotive mix of genres; be it cute cartoon animals and the darkest sides of human nature. The writing at first glance, seems a tad light. The focus on Sophie and Rusty is cute; a traditional world weary dog and a cuter little thing, in the vein of Lady and the Tramp. It is Rusty who, in order to help Sophie acclimatise, actually starts to bring the truth out. Fleecs put all the parts of the jigsaw in plain sight, which is a clever way to tune the reader into Sophie’s emotions. We are all too cynical and aware to work out what has happened to Sophie and her Lady; it is the impact of this and its future impact on Sophie that gives this book it’s emotional core. At this stage some of the dogs may seem like ciphers, though Fleecs does well to bring a little humour to home based pound, with conversations about snoring and who is to blame giving the impression of a dog hotel rather than a circumstantial prion of sorts.

The art is provided by Trish Forstner, also of My Little Pony fame. Never having read a Pony book, this is my first Forstner book and I have to say that I am immensely impressed. Disney is not my usual style, but that is the visual style that is applied. It is therefore a tad unique to have something looking so cute, yet hiding a dark underbelly tone. As you would expect, the faces of the dogs are well animated, showing the different emotions that they, and Sophie especially are feeling. The only time that this cute facade slips is the final thirds of the book, centred around Rusty in true Steve McQueen style. The layouts by Tone Rodriguez help carry the pace of the story well. Brad Simpson’s colors are, very much like the writing and the art, carries its own juxtaposition in bright colors for the most part, married to darker background colors to show both the danger and emotional context of the dogs rebellious actions. Simpson is helped out by flatter Lauren Perry. I am not sure who provided the letters, but I do like the lack of bold lines around the word bubbles, indicating that the dogs speaking is a hidden element rather than active elements. If this is part of the design by Lauren Herda, then job well done!

For a book that isn’t my usual forte, I was pleasantly surprised at how well done, how intricate in dealing with the Sophie’s feelings and the ominous tones provided by knowing what has happened to not just Sophie’s Lady Fleecs and Forstner have imbued in this book.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Written by; Tony Fleecs
Art by; Trish Forstner
Colors by; Brad Simpson
Layouts by; Tone Rodriguez
Flatter; Lauren Perry
Design / Logo by; Lauren Herda
Published by; Image Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network